United Nations, New York - The world is becoming an increasingly hostile place for journalists and media workers. 2018 was one of the deadliest years with at least 99 journalists worldwide killed, almost 350 detained and 60 held hostage. In response to the UN Secretary-General’s appeal to all Governments to defend a free media, the UK and Canada have initiated a global campaign to champion media freedom and increase the costs to those that are attempting to restrict it.

In response to the UN Secretary-General’s appeal to all Governments to defend a free media, the UK and Canada have initiated a global campaign to champion media freedom and increase the costs to those that are attempting to restrict it. To advance these objectives, the UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and First Secretary of State, The Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP, will host a Ministerial event to launch the Media Freedom Coalition with UK Special Envoy on Media Freedom Amal Clooney, and UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. The panel event will include participation from Ministers, journalists, media professionals and civil society representatives.

This event will bring together high-level representatives from a range of Member States, journalists, media professionals and civil society partners to discuss how to translate political commitments into practical action to address the challenges around media freedom. It will:

- Launch the Media Freedom Coalition, announcing its membership and how it will operate to reinforce global commitments, international initiatives and regional fora;
- highlight the opportunity for funding contributions and bids to the Global Media Defence Fund, administered by UNESCO;
- Share experiences in the development of National Action Plans on the safety of journalists.
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Human Rights Activist and Lawyer Amal Clooney today said, “abuses of media freedom around the world are stifling speech and shredding the very fabric of democracies,” adding "if democracy, as we know it, is to stand a chance of survival, we need leaders who believe in liberal values to step up.”

Speaking today (25 Sep) in New York on the sidelines of the 74th United Nations General Assembly, Amal Clooney, human rights activist and lawyer said, “it is clear to me that although more than 170 States have signed up to the international treaty in which they promise to protect free expression, the international system that is supposed to enforce this promise is broken.”

She explained, “we know this because record numbers of journalists are being abused across the world through vilification, threats, surveillance, imprisonment, even murder and because all too often, the abusers are governments themselves.”

The human rights activist and lawyer also listed new tools to help protect media freedom.

She said, “targeted sanction regimes to impose serious financial consequences on State officials who abuse media freedom; enhanced counselor assistance to journalists who are detained abroad; the deployment of an international team to investigate attacks on journalists when the States authorities are unwilling or unable to act; a commitment to increase transparency so that we know when a journalist is arrested and we can get into a courtroom when they are being put on trial; and a system of visas for prosecuted journalists who need to seek safety abroad.”

Clooney reiterated, “I hope we can help to switch the default from impunity to accountability, and that we will witness the consistent use of targeted sanctions when journalists are prosecuted or killed. I hope that we can begin to shine a light on what is happening in the dark so sunlight can play its role as disinfectant.”

The event called “Media Freedom – A Global Responsibility” was organized by the Mission of the United Kingdom to the United Nation.
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